NEWS ARTICLES

ND’s graduate nonprofit program offering free two-day conference

The University of Notre Dame’s nonprofit graduate program is
offering a two-day conference for nonprofit leaders wanting to learn how to
better measure the impact their efforts are having on their targeted community.

“Global Conference on Social Impact: A Pracademic Symposium,”
will take place June 17-18 at the Mendoza College of Business. The conference,
which is free of charge, is open to anyone interested in learning about what
having a “social impact” really means.

“What we hope to accomplish is to help define this new area
of ‘social impact,’” said Marc Hardy, the
director of Nonprofit Executive Programs, which is sponsoring the event along
with the Institute for Ethical Business Worldwide at the Mendoza College of Business. “The phrase is
often quoted by those in the nonprofit sector, but few people actually know
what it is or how it should be measured, reported and used. Our hope is to move
a little closer to understanding the research that is being done in this area
and how it can be used to advance the goals of nonprofit organizations in their
quest to make the world a better place.”

All sessions will be held in the Giovanini Commons on the
Mendoza College’s lower level.

The conference offers noted experts speaking on challenges
that organizations face routinely, such as defining social impact, managing a
volunteer workforce, measuring social return on investment and the role of
risk. Speakers include Roxanne Spillett, president emeritus of the Boys &
Girls Clubs of America; Patricia Phillips of the Salvation Army; and Naomi
Penney of Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns; as well as a number of noted
professors and researchers working in the area of nonprofit concerns.